I've had some time to sit back and look over this season and I'm pretty happy with the progress of this team. I bundled the stack of tickets for the games I attended (39 including playoff games) and put them in the time capsule. This team has a few things it needs to address and I am confident that BB will provide his input and GMGM will address them with the full support of Ted and his group.

Not really all that many tweaks required folks. Although I hate to admit it Pittsburgh will at the very least advance to the Stanley Cup Finals again, and have a great chance of winning it. I didn't want to see Crosby lift one before Ovechkin, but he probably will. The fact is, the boys didn't blow it, they took a great team to a game 7.

I tend to think the critcism would be a little less harsh if the boys would have laid down in game 6 and lost in overtime, which is a shame. They didn't though, they brought it to a game 7 and had a good run of bad luck. Let's face it Caps fans, poor Varly let in 3 goals that were pretty routine. I don't have anything but kudos for him though, he did pretty good in his first NHL playoff run. Those goals were just way too much to recover from. The injuries began to hurt just a little more, and the fatigue made the legs just a little heavier. Our boys definitely finished with class though. They did not take any runs at the Pens because the Pens had earned the right to move on. I would have expected nothing less from the Pens.

Anyone who still believes they cared more about the playoff run and Stanley Cup did not take the time to watch the interviews after the game Wednesday and from KCI on Friday. Everyone from GMGM were visibly upset and a couple of the players looked like it was all they could do to keep their emotions in check during the interview.

@RedBirdie: Of course Philthy fans hate Pittsburgh, that is the point I have been making since the start of the series. They are the Pens rivalry. I hate Philly! Richards, Hartnell, Carter, their smug-a$$ coach, the fans, and the arena. Hatred runs deep. Pittsburgh fans do not hate the Capitals (or their fans). I am in awe with Ovie, love watching Semin and Backstrom when they are on, and wish we had Steckel. You can hate all you want, but the Caps will NEVER replace Philthy as our rivals. I was at 35 Pens games this year and the only fans that really get heckled are Flyer fans. That said, we are in for more great series in the future. They rave about Ovechkin because he doesn't stick the dagger in them consistently as Sid does. I would hate him also, if he did that to my team.

Posted by: penscapsNOTarivalry | May 18, 2009 9:41 AM

cool, you have a bigger rivalry with another team. WOW MAN, GROUND BREAKING. THAT OFFENDS ME SO MUCH, WOW...WE AREN'T YOUR GUYS BIGGEST RIVALS?!?!?!? YOU MEAN 3 DIFFERENT TEAMS FROM THE 90S PATRICK DIVISION CAN"T ALL BE RIVALS??? WOWOWOWOWOW.

To all traders. Caps had a very good chance to win in 6 games so there would be no game 7.
Series was pretty even. Varlamov played great for 12 games and 6 against Pens. Unfortunately game 7 was his 13th playoff game and also it was played on May 13. So probably we were completely out of luck here.

By the way, the only reason our players can't keep up with Ovie is because Ovie gets the puck at the opponent's blue line then he speeds up. The other linemates, who have passed to him from our zone, have a zone and half to make up to catch up to him.
So, it doesn't matter if you would have Gartner playing with him, no one can follow Ovie's rush. As a matter of fact, when the guys do races for fun during practices, Ovie is not one of the top 4 speedsters.

Posted by: atybat
---------------------------------------

Pure curiousity: Who are the fastest skaters on the team? perhaps a top ten list

From previos
For all of those that Fehr was not helping this team are missing what was going on against the Pens. After Fehr got hurt the fourth line fell apart. The Caps for all intents and purposes were playing with 3 lines and that killed them by game 7 and they ran out of gas. Look at the minutes played by Beagle and Clark in the last 3 games, 3-5 minutes a game. Gordo was killing penalties, so that was part of it, but not all, BB, cut the bench to 3 lines. Before he was hurt that the 4th was playing roughly 10-12 minutes a game. He was a big help in getting productive time out of that line.

Pronger was available at the deadline. His asking price was too high. ANA wanted Alzner, Varly and Carlson, our 3 top prospects for a player who has a fat cap hit and his contract is up after next season.

Pronger was available at the deadline. His asking price was too high. ANA wanted Alzner, Varly and Carlson, our 3 top prospects for a player who has a fat cap hit and his contract is up after next season.

Posted by: hsk8er6 | May 18, 2009 5:00 PM |

I think you know what I meant.

I read that article too, and even if we overpaid, I doubt the Ducks would have still done it at the deadline.

As far as ANA asking for 3 prospects. That is how teams negotiate. You start high on both sides and meet in the middle. My question is, what did GMGM offer in return or willing to give up. It is easy to say they wanted this and that. Of course you ask for the moon at the start.

Thanks for taking on the challenging world of Video Blogging. I don't know if anything you do is pre-scripted or if you free form it, but I saw this webcam teleprompter in case you hadn't seen this yet.

...*whistles* Man, some of the crap flying around is just insane. I don't remember this much fratching last year.

Unfortunately, I can't really watch the videos from work, and that's the only time I really have time to read in detail most of the time. I wish Tarik would go back to a written format.

I think what the trade deadline came down to was that there wasn't anything out that would fit under the cap, not with Potsy coming back, and that made sense for the team without sacrificing the moon. The only thing I'm really looking for in the offseason is a top-pairing D-man with a healthy dose of snarl and a forward willing to crash the net. The rest, I think we've got.

Lindsay:
Poor Tarik! The man clearly works too hard! :-) I hate to admit it but that was my favorite video update yet - I can see why you all got a kick out of it!! ;-) (Tarik - I say that with all due respect!!)

To anyone who does not like video updates, well, don't watch them! I'll never understand why people complain about blog content - I'll take what I can get (and be thankful for it) and skip what does not interest me. It's just not that complicated.

I think I've only just recovered from last off-season and now it's time to drudge through another ... ugh. Thanks again to Tarik, Katie and Lindsay for all the great info throughout the season!

kittypawz, Agreed. I saw him Saturday night and he was pretty darn impressive. He's so calm. Pretty quick too and smart enough to cover for his partner. The truly scary thing is he's only going to get better. Future partner for Green, maybe?

OI! Wasn't this entry about Tarik and his goofs? This was a lot of fun to watch, and after a very long day at work, this was a much-needed laugh. Thanks, Tarik!

And to all you people who are trying to second-guess the Capitals and the management: it's all going to work out fine. The Cup is ours in the next two years. Since Boudreau started, this team's shown nothing but improvement. This season ALONE has given not only Washington, but fans and sportscasters EVERYWHERE something good to talk about - excepting, of course, the people who seem to be hanging from Pittsburgh's jockstraps.

Honestly, were you all thinking we were going straight to the Cup Finals after one-and-a-half years of a new coach and new blood on the ice? Give it time. Patience, my friends. Rome wasn't built in a day, as the saying goes! This area has been inundated with the Daniel Snyder "we gotta have it now" mentality, and we all see how well it's worked out for him and his organization. We have shown nothing but constant improvement over the last 1.5 years, and it's that constant improvement that will bring the Cup to its appropriate resting place outside Ted Leonsis' box.

Yes, we all wanted the Caps to beat the Penguins, but when it didn't happen, this team and its fans shared a wonderful moment where we applauded our boys for the work they'd put forth this year. It wasn't as easy as Ovechkin and company made it look - there were struggles and nights where we'd know instantly if they didn't have the game locked up as a win, which (thankfully) wasn't often. It was nice hearing James Brown, Kool and the Gang and Poison singing their songs of celebration over the Verizon Center speakers. We didn't have to hear a whole lot of Sugar Ray's "When It's Over".

Buck up, kids. The Capitals gave us a great season, and we should give them our faith in return. Don't give up hope, don't wish for trades and draft picks - these guys are the real deal and I stand by what I say - THE CUP IS OURS IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS.

@RedBirdie: Of course Philthy fans hate Pittsburgh, that is the point I have been making since the start of the series. They are the Pens rivalry. I hate Philly! Richards, Hartnell, Carter, their smug-a$$ coach, the fans, and the arena. Hatred runs deep. Pittsburgh fans do not hate the Capitals (or their fans). I am in awe with Ovie, love watching Semin and Backstrom when they are on, and wish we had Steckel. You can hate all you want, but the Caps will NEVER replace Philthy as our rivals. I was at 35 Pens games this year and the only fans that really get heckled are Flyer fans. That said, we are in for more great series in the future. They rave about Ovechkin because he doesn't stick the dagger in them consistently as Sid does. I would hate him also, if he did that to my team.

Posted by: penscapsNOTarivalry | May 18, 2009 9:41 AM

Actually, the funniest thing about this is that I posted it a full day, and several topics, earlier. What, you've got nothing better to do than dig up posts about the penguins? Go troll Bubba Banjo or somethhing.

As much as I hate to say it, its only a rivalry when both teams are involved. Otherwise, its just a reminder. Philly and Pitt are bigger rivals than Pens Caps. We only consider it a rivalry because we lost 6 times in 10 years. They look at it like a beat down, 6 times in 10 years. Not a lot of room to argue. Philly? Now thats a rivalry for DC. Gotta remember, there were years when Washington was just an also ran, and when you go out in the 1st round every year, no one considers you a rival so much as a road bump.

Thats gonna change, one day. Evidently, not this year. When Bruce siad "well, its not this team, it was those teams before us," I thought yeah, I've heard that speech before, all preceding series losses to the Pens.

I'm having a a problem coming up with two more. Nylander is sometimes fast, but its hard to tell because he doesn't play frequently and he likes to skate in circles. I feel like one of the D men (not Erskine!) besides Green must be pretty fast, but I can't think of any that stand out. Maybe Poti, when he's not dead with groin injuries.

Oh, I get the point.
Despite my above comments, we Caps fans view it as a rivalry and thats good enough for me. I don't want Pittsburgh to win anything but an ugly contest. And when they pin the ribbon, I want them to bleed.

Fedorov isn't faster than Ovechkin, not by a mile. Fedorov looked very tired by seasons end. I know he said 'legs' but I think he meant 'fight'. There is still some fight left. Legs, I'm not so sure about.

Agree with your post. Team made great progress this year. Yes, the team has some areas to address and that should be done in the off season.

After reading a lot of the blog comments (on this blog and others), it seems like fans believe the entire team is subpar, save for Ovechkin, Backstrom, Varlamov, and Steckel. Everyone seems to have forgotten that Semin was actually good in the playoff series against the Rangers. (The word on his injury is sprained thumb but there were rumors of ligament damage. NHL.com had posted something of him revealing to Slava Malamud that he had a broken foot.)

@oo7, notice I said my list wasn't in order. My guess is that Fedorov isn't faster than Ovie on most nights. However, Fedorov is still a quick old guy and can have surprising bursts of speed (he's also one of the ten most beautiful skaters in the history of the sport). Also, Fedorov had a terrible time coming back from that ankle injury this year. It affected him to a noticeable degree. And then the minor foot injury at the end of the season caused him to lose a step. But the Old Man is still one of the fastest guys out on the ice.

As much as I hate to say it, its only a rivalry when both teams are involved. Otherwise, its just a reminder. Philly and Pitt are bigger rivals than Pens Caps. We only consider it a rivalry because we lost 6 times in 10 years. They look at it like a beat down, 6 times in 10 years. Not a lot of room to argue. Philly? Now thats a rivalry for DC. Gotta remember, there were years when Washington was just an also ran, and when you go out in the 1st round every year, no one considers you a rival so much as a road bump.

Again, for the 23423434th time, Philly only played Pitt 3 times in the 90s and crushed them all 3 times. I have no idea why you guys want to use two different forms of logic for different teams. "We got beat 5 out of the 6 times, it was no rivalry for them! Nevermind the fact that we just PLAYED THEM 6 times! But wait, Philly/Pitt IS a rivalry because they only played 3 times in the 90s and Philly beat them EVERY time"

The definition of irony is?

Any hockey fan will tell you of the Pens/Caps rivalry in the 90s. To deny this is just weird. And we don't have a rivalry with Philly. They beat us once recently...not a rivalry.

Philly is a geographic rivalry. Both teams are good, so that helps things.

but Pitt? No, there's a deep-seated, hate-by-birthright thing going on there. Despite what Pitt about the Caps not being a rival, their extreme levels of hate say otherwise. Have you ever met it Pitt fan who says something like "I don't mind DC, I'm pretty indifferent about them?" or "They've really managed to turn that organization around" or anything even neutral about the Caps or DC? Yeah, didn't think so. I can at least squeeze out a "The Caps play exciting hockey" and "I love to watch Ovechkin's shot" from Flyers fans. Good luck getting that out of your average Pens fan.

Also, until last year Pitt has never beaten Philly in the playoffs. So for some reason that makes a great rivalry but the fact that we were beaten 5 out of 6 times in the 90s means we didn't have a rivalry?

Philly is a geographic rivalry. Both teams are good, so that helps things.

but Pitt? No, there's a deep-seated, hate-by-birthright thing going on there. Despite what Pitt about the Caps not being a rival, their extreme levels of hate say otherwise. Have you ever met it Pitt fan who says something like "I don't mind DC, I'm pretty indifferent about them?" or "They've really managed to turn that organization around" or anything even neutral about the Caps or DC? Yeah, didn't think so. I can at least squeeze out a "The Caps play exciting hockey" and "I love to watch Ovechkin's shot" from Flyers fans. Good luck getting that out of your average Pens fan.

Posted by: RedBirdie | May 18, 2009 10:20 PM |

Exactly.

pens/Caps rivalry runs deep. Like I said, Battle for PA is fun and all I guess, but it has nothing on the roller coaster of a rivalry between Washington and Pittsburgh.

I wonder how many Caps wear contacts (or have have laser or PRK surgery.) We know Pothier developed astigmatism since his concussion of late 2007.

there's limits to how much laser surgery can fix astigmatism. if its a severe case, or coupled with a thinning cornea, it can't be fixed through laser surgery. (all that said, I don't know the extent of Pothier's issues)

RedBirdie, I'm pretty sure Pothier's astigmatism is worse than mine considering his description of the dizziness and laser surgery would actually make mine worse. That said, I know he wears contacts instead of his glasses to play. I'm trying to think if I've seen any of the other guys in glasses. Coming up blank.

Phil, your obsessed with this rivalry thing, huh? : )
I have a few friends that are Pens fans. They all like Washington. They think Ovie is great, and none of them buy into the whole "ovie is a dirty player' thing. Sure, they like their Crsoby, but if we had him, we would to. You can't dislike those point totals. The whining I can do without. Not one of them thought that Crsoby punching the dude in the nads was impressive. Or the faceoff fight. They atrribute it to him being overzealous. yawn. THey also, interestingly, don't consider the Caps their biggest rivals. This is mainly because so much is made of the Pitt/Philly rivalry in Pennsylvania.

Like I said, I think they're rivals. But, you have to admit, getting schooled by your rivals over and over lends to one side having bragging rights.

Now, I would say Cooke went knee on knee. THere was only an attempt to USE the knee, not to use the shoulder like Ovie did. Also, Eaton looked like he was trying to clip Ruutu. Personally, I think the Pens play a dirtier game than the Caps do. I don't see the Caps as a dirty team at all. Nor Ovie. Cooke generally isn't either, but that hit sure looked purposeful.

"Pittsburgh fans do not hate the Capitals (or their fans). I am in awe with Ovie, love watching Semin and Backstrom when they are on, and wish we had Steckel. You can hate all you want, but the Caps will NEVER replace Philthy as our rivals. I was at 35 Pens games this year and the only fans that really get heckled are Flyer fans."

If Caps aren't a rival, why are you on a message board called "Capitals Insider"?

Amusing how the Capitals are not a big rival of Pittsburgh, but their fans come swarming here when they're playing them. I guess its their huge inferiority complex. Outside of sports they have nothing.
Ever heard anyone say "I'm moving to Pittsburgh", with a smile on their face? Unless they play sports, moving to Pittsburgh is cause to weep.

RedBirdie, my brother actually had prescription goggles for when he played hockey and football. I wore hard contacts for a while, but ended up scratching my cornea from an elbow to the eye during a volleyball game.

Ever heard anyone say "I'm moving to Pittsburgh", with a smile on their face?

Posted by: pga6 | May 18, 2009 11:01 PM | Report abuse

Well, yes, just once, but the poor girl had just spent 6 years living in Detroit and the Free Press only publishes 3 days a week now. She landed a job with some Pittsburgh paper that actually publishes all 7 days.

but she's the only one I know that has ever smiled when saying "I'm moving to Pittsburgh!"

So Pittsburgh doesn't play dirty, huh. And now Carolina has key players injured. Sounds like more than a coincidence. (Methinks the Pens are a dirtier team than Philthy who gets credit for being dirty.)

Crosby's right up there when it comes to playing dirty. I missed this in real time but we have a DVR and my son yelled "rewind that and watch Crosby." It was very early in the game and Cole had finished a check on Crosby behind the Penguins net, the whistle blew and players began to glide. As Crosby glided towards Cole, well after the whistle, he gave him a two handed slash across the hands.

That is the kind of crap that the Golden boy gets away with that announcers won't even talk about in a replay. The whole sequence leading up to Ovi and Crosby squaring off in the regular season game started when Crosby cross-checked Ovi from behind and he ended up having to stop himself from toppling onto the bench. That is where the clip picked up that VS used to talk about the two being rivals, but instead of showing the first part they just showed the EVIL Ovi going after Crosby. Crosby is a punk that gets ticked off whenever anyone touches him and he expects a call. Very much like Lemiuex.

There was a Caps v. Pens game earlier this season where the following was caught on replay, but the announcers didn't even talk about it - the play was dead, the whistles blown, and Crosby skates behind our goalie (don't know which one it was back then) and whacks him in the back of the thighs. For no reason whatsoever. The puck isn't anywhere near him.

"NHL Golden Boy"... right. My shiny, Asian BUTT he's the "Golden Boy". You think Gretzky pulled this kind of crap and got called "The Great One"? Considering during the playoffs that all the announcers were comparing Crosby to the great players past and present, I'd say to all of them IGNORE THE NHL PRIME DIRECTIVE AND GET NEW GLASSES, FOLKS. All Crosby's good for is whining, cherry-picking and unprofessionally jabbing his stick at the opponent's extremities. Nothing more. He's got no heart, he's got no class.